The comic artwork of Ryan Claytor.

Every once in a while I’ll get asked what sort of websites I frequent, either for pleasure or inspiration. I thought I’d take some time to go through a few today. Let’s do this countdown style. I’ve got five for ya:

5. Vera Brosgal (http://verabee.com/): I’ve been enamored with this young lady’s artwork for a couple of years now. Her line is confident, her figures are a joy to look at, and ooOOAAH…her watercolors! *droolz* She storyboards for Laika, better known as the company that produced the claymation movies, Coraline and Paranorman, but in her spare time she makes comics, like Anya’s Ghost, among others. For me, her illustration walks that delicate balance of inspirational and making me want to throw my hands in the air and be done with it all.

4. PAPA (Professional and Amateur Pinball Association) Pinball Vimeo Feed (http://vimeo.com/user4577902/videos/): There are a few variations of pinball videos on this vimeo channel. A) Tournament Action! This is where you watch four sevants go head to head in a battle for money AND HONOR!!! B) Gameplay Goodness. Ever wonder what an old obscure game looks, sounds, and plays like? Well, even if you haven’t, I probably have, and gameplay vids are a great way to find out about those oldies but campies. C) Tips and Toutorials: The other two categories pale in comparison to watching Bowen talk his way through his tactics and strategies of any pinball machine. This guy must spend his nights pouring over rule sets. Equal parts scary and inspiring.

3. Paper Wings Podcast (www.paperwingspodcast.com/): There are a lot of comics podcasts out there, and with a two hour commute built into my teaching day, I’ve listened to a lot of them. Honestly, I have a difficult time dealing with most due to the banter-heavy nature of the programming. I find myself saying, “Just come on with it and dole out the information already!” The beacon of light in the sea of info-lite comics podcasts is definitely Paper Wings. The co-hosts, Lara Innes (The Dreamer) and Chris Oatly (Disney Character Designer) have a mantra, “Don’t Just Make Comics. Elevate Comics.” Their show has a focused format with sound information that doesn’t prattle on. Although the episodes haven’t updated in a several months, it is well worth combing their archives and listening (or re-listening) to them from the beginning.

2. OMG That Dress (http://omgthatdress.tumblr.com/): This has to be one of the most frequently updated blogs online. There’s not a ton of information on each post, but the images of dresses and clothing from bygone eras pour in at a staggering rate. I’ve really started paying attention to this (and a few other) dress and fashion blogs because of a deficiency I’ve noticed in my own artwork: I illustrate folks wearing pretty generic clothing. I think this is a result of my complete disinterest in purchasing anything fashionable for myself and my oblivious nature to fashion around me. When I teach, I wear something with buttons. When I don’t, I wear something with a nerd logo. That’s about the extent of my wherewithal when it comes to clothing. But through this blog, I’m becoming a little more savvy, and I’m hoping my illustrations will start to feel a bit more authentic.

1. Thirteen Minutes (http://thirteenminutes.blogspot.com/): Alright, this is it: my most frequently read blog. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it as long as he’s actively posting (which has been CONSISTANTLY since 2005), Justin Giampaoli runs the most intelligent and approachable comics review site with the most diverse cross-section of genre selection I have ever seen. He reviews everything from Mainstream to Independents to Minicomics and gives each review a fair and equal treatment. His tastes are seasoned, refined, served with a dose of intellectual rigor and peppered with sharp humor. And, if you don’t have time to read ALL the brilliance available at 13 Minutes, each review is capped with a simple letter grade for easy digestion. Thirteen Minutes is my #1 news source, barometer, and sounding board in the comics community. I don’t always read comic reviews, but when I do, I prefer Thirteen Minutes. Stay nerdy, my friends.

Bonus: Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader): Alright, this last one isn’t really a website with any content to speak of, but it helps me keeping track of a large number of websites by aggregating multiple frequently updated websites’ rss feeds into a single portal. You can view it on any device with an internet connection (desktop, laptop, eReader, phone, etc.) and it syncs/updates your “already read” items across all platforms. It has single-handedly allowed me to keep track of over 100 websites daily and makes viewing the internet in any other capacity seem archaic. My biggest surprise about Google Reader is how few people know about it or use it. Do you? I’ll never go back.

Have you made it this far? Got a website I should know about? Let me know in the comments section below.

Amen, Sherief. Those are some good ‘ens. …and it always surprises me how many people STILL do not know about google-reader. It’s hard for me to fathom how inefficiently I processed the web a mere year or two ago.